Collapsible support for table leaf



April 21, 1959 w. A. BATSON 2,883,249

COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR TABLE LEAF Filed April 2. 1958 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3| 5! z K 34 x 28 a 1 INVENTOR. William A. Bafson ATTORNEY A ril 21, 1959 w. A.BAT'S 32, 83 2 9 COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR TABLE. LEAF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 2, 1958 [GI-L ATTORNEY United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR TABLE LEAF William A. Batson, Pickens, S.C., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, NJ., at corporation of New Jersey Application April 2, 1958, Serial No. 725,994

6 Claims. (Cl. 311-64) This invention relates to sewing machine tables and more particularly to a collapsible metallic support used with these tables and adapted to hold up. one or more folding table-leaves when the said table-leaves are in a raised or extended position, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an improved collapsible support of this nature. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a support which can be extended to hold up a table-leaf and which can be collapsed to an inconspicuous stored position.

With the above and other objects in view, aswill hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a tableto which a pair of identical collapsible supports embodying the present invention have been applied, only one of the supports being shown in Fig. 1, full lines showing the table and leaf extension in folded position and the dashed lines showing the leaf extension in open position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the other end of the table shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 showing the second support;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken ontheline 3--3 of Fig. 2 andshowing the support in its fully collapsed position; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The sewing machine table 16 shown in the drawings comprises a pair of front legs, one front leg being shown at 17; a pair of rear legs, one rear leg being" shown at 18; a pair of end walls, one end wall being shown at 19; a front wall 21, a portion of which is formed as a drawer 22 having drawer pulls 23; and a rear wall 24. A fixed table-top 26 is supported by and secured to the front, rear and end walls of the table 16in a known manner. A plurality of ordinary hinges, one hinge being indicated at 27, movably attach a narrow hinged leaf 28 to the rear edges of the table-top 26. Also a plurality of special hinges, one special hinge being shown at 29, movably'attach one edge of a wide hinged cover leaf 31 to the free edge of the narrow leaf 28. Reference to Fig. 1, shows that the narrow leaf 28 can assume two different positions, these two positions being indicated by the numerals 28' and 28". The position 28', shown in Fig. I by solid lines, is such that the leaf 28 is coextensive with the table-top 26. The position 28 shown in Fig. l by dashed lines, is such that the leaf 28 hangs below the table-top 26 atan angle of approximately 9'0 degrees thereto. Fig. 1 also shows that the wide leaf 31 can assume three different positions, these being indicated by the numerals 31', 31", and 31'. The position 31", shown in Fig. 1 by 2,883,249 Patented Apr. 21, 1959 solid lines, is such that the leaf 31 is positioned up-sidedown and thereby overlies the table-top 26. One of the positions shown in Fig. 1 by dashed lines and indicated by the numerals 31', is such that the leaf 31 is coextensive with the position 28 of the narrow leaf 28, and with the table-top 26. The other position, shown in Fig. l by dashed lines and indicated by the numeral 31", is such that the leaf 31 hangs below the table-top 26 and below the position 28" of the narrow leaf 28. The lower end of the wide leaf 31 when in the position 31 engages a pair of bumpers carried by the rear legs 18--18, one of these bumpers being shown at 32.

In order to support the narrow leaf 28 in its position 28' and the wide leaf 31 in its position 31, there are provided two collapsible supports indicated generally by the numeral 33. Each support 33 has a common fixed central pivot-pin 34, a fixed arm 36 and a movable arm 38. The fixed arm 36 is secured to the lower surface of the table-top 26 by a plurality of wood. screws 37. A depending fixed central plate 40 (Fig. 2) is secured to the central end of the arm 36, and a depending fixed terminal plate 41 is secured to the terminal end of the arm 36. The plate 48 carries the previously mentioned pivotpin 34 and the plate 41 carries a fixed terminal pivot-pin 42, which pivotally supports a first toggle leg 43, the leg 43 (Fig. 3) being spaced horizontally from the plate 41 by a washer 44. The other end of the toggle leg 43 is, by means of a rivet 45 and a dished spring washer 46, connected to one end of a second toggle leg 47. The end of the toggle leg 43 extends beyond the rivet 45 and at the end of the extended portion is provided with a bent lurg 48 which when the two toggle legs 43 and 47 are extended so as to be substantially in line (see Fig. 2) enters a notch 49 formed in the second toggle leg 47.

Opposite ends of the movable arm 38 carry a depending movable central plate 50 and a depending movable terminal plate 51. The plate 50 is pivoted on the previously mentioned central pivot-pin 34 and the plate 51 carries a movable terminal pivot-pin 52 which pivotally supports a third toggle leg 53, the leg 53 (Fig. 3) being spaced horizontally from the plate 51 by a washer 54. The other end of the toggle leg 53 is, by means of a rivet 55 and a dished spring washer 56, connected to one end of a fourth toggle leg 57. The end of the toggle leg 53 extends beyond the rivet 55 and at the end of the extended portion is provided with a bent lug 58 which, when the two toggle legs 43 and 47 are extended so as to be substantially in line (see Fig. 2), enters a notch 59 formed in the toggle leg 57.

Pivot-pin 34, in addition to passing through pl ates40 and 50, passes through the upper end and thus pivotally mounts two struts 61 and 62. Strut 61 carries a raised lug 63 and strut 62 carries a raised lug 64. The free ends of the struts 61 and 62, as well as the ends of the toggle legs 47 and 57 remote from the rivets 45 and 55 respectively, are pivotally connected together by a rivet 66, the ends of the struts 61 and 62 (Fig. 3) being horizontally separated by a pair of washers 6767 which are also carried by the rivet 66. The movable arm 38 is drilled and thereby carries two upstanding resilient bumpers 68-68. Reference to Fig. 2 shows that the table-top 26, the narrow leaf 28 and the wide leaf 31 are the same thickness, and that when the two leaves 28 and 31 are extended horizontally that the three elements 26, 28 and 31 are coextensive. it should also be noted that the upper surface of the movable arm 38, when in the solid line position. shown in Fig. 2, is slightly below the upper surface of the fixed arm 36. This difference in elevation is compensated for by the bumpers 6868. The bumpers 6868 prevent marring of the surface of the leaves 28 and 31.

3 It will be understood that both of the supports 33 may assume two positions, viz., the stored position shown in Fig. 1 by solid lines and the extended or leaf-supporting, position shown in Fig. 2 by solid lines. When the movable arm 38 of the support 33 is moved from the extended position (Fig. 2) to the stored position (Fig. 1) parts of support 33 move through a plurality of intermediate posiv tions. The fully extended position is indicated in Fig. 2 by the letter A and the successive intermediate positions are indicated by the letters B, C, and D,

with the final stored position being indicated by the letter B. When it becomes desirable to collapse the support 1 E shown by dashed lines in Fig. 2 and by solid lines in Fig. 1. Also as the arm 38 is moved from position D to position E, the legs 53, 57, 43 and 47, and the struts 6162 also move to the stored position E until the lug 63 engages the bottom of the notch 49. The arm. 38

and other parts of the support 33 are moved from the 3 stored to the extended or supporting position by reversing the above described movements. When the arm 38 is in the fully extended position, the toggle legs 5357 and 43-47 will be straight and the bent lugs 48 and 58 will engage the bottoms of the notches 49 and 59 respectively.

Because of the above the wide leaf 31 can be placed in the position 31" on top of the table-top 26, or in the extended position 31', or in the dropped position 31".

Also the narrow leaf 28 can be placed in the extended I position 28' or in the dropped position 28".

Having thus described the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A collapsible support for a sewing machine table having a table-top and a movable leaf hinged to said table-top, said support comprising a first member pivotally attached to the under side of. said table-top and being capable of movement to two positions, one of said positions being a stored position below said table-top, a second member also pivotally attached to the under side of said table-top and being capable of movement to two positions, one of said positions being a stored position below said table-top and the other position being an extended position below said movable leaf, when said movable leaf is in an extended position, and means associated with said first member when said first member is in its second position for supporting said second member in its extended position and thereby causing said second member to support said hinged leaf.

2. A collapsible support for a sewing machine table having a table-top and a movable leaf hinged to said tabletop, said support comprising a first toggle leg pivoted to said table-top, a second toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said first toggle leg, a movable arm pivoted to said table-top, a third toggle leg pivotally tied to said movable arm, a fourth toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said third toggle leg, and a member pivotally connecting the free ends of said second and fourth toggle legs.

3. A collapsible support for a sewing machine table having a table-top and a movable leaf hinged to said table-top, said support comprising a fixed arm secured to the lower surface of said table-top, a first toggle leg pivoted on said fixed arm, a second toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said first toggle leg, a movable arm pivotally mounted on said fixed arm, a third toggle leg pivoted on said movable arm, a fourth toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said third toggle leg, and a means pivotally connecting the free ends of said second and fourth toggle legs.

4.:A- collapsible support for a sewing machine table having atable-top and Ia movable leaf hinged to said table-top, said "support comprising a fixed arm secured to the'lower surface of said table-top, a first toggle leg pivoted on said fixed arm, a second toggle leg pivotally connected'to the free end of said first toggle leg, a movable arm pivotally mounted, on said fixed arm, a third toggle leg pivoted on said movable arm, a fourth toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said third toggle leg, means pivotally connecting the free ends of =said-second and fourth toggle legs, and means'pivotally connecting said last named means to said fixed arm. A collapsible support for a sewing machine table 1 having a table-top and a movable leaf hinged to said tabletop, said support comprising a fixed arm secured to the lower surface of said table-top, a fixed central plate secured to and depending from one end of said fixed arm, a fixed terminal'plate secured to and depending from the other end of said fixed arm, a first toggle leg pivoted on said fixed terminal plate, a second toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said first toggle leg, a movable arm, a movable central plate secured to and depending from one end of said movable arm, said movable central plate being pivotally mounted on said fixed cen- -tralplate, a movable terminal plate secured to and depending from the other end of said movable arm, a third toggle leg pivoted on said movable terminal plate, a fourth toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said third toggle leg, means pivotally connecting the free ends of said second and fourth toggle legs, and means pivotally connecting said last named means to said fixed central plate.

6. A collapsible support for a sewing machine table having a table-top and a movable leaf hinged to said tabletop, said support comprising a fixed arm secured to the lower surface of said table-top, a fixed central plate secured to and depending from one end of said fixed arm, a fixed central pivot-pin carried by said fixed central plate, a fixed tenminal plate secured to and depending from the other end of said fixed arm, a fixed terminal pivot-pin carried by said fixed terminal plate, a first toggle leg pivoted on said fixed terminal pivot-pin, a second toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said first toggle leg, a movable arm, a movable central plate secured to and depending from one end of said movable arm, said movable central plate being pivotally mounted on said fixed central pivot-pin, a movable terminal plate secured to and depending from the other end of said movable arm, a movable terminal pivot-pin carried by said movable terminal plate, a third toggle leg pivoted on said movable terminal pivot-pin, a fourth toggle leg pivotally connected to the free end of said third toggle leg, at rivet pivotally connecting the free ends of said second and fourth toggle legs, and at least one strut connecting said fixed central pivot-pin to said rivet.

A I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,902,175 Lurie Mar. 21, 1933 1,993,787 Howe Mar. 12, 1935 2,329,293 Predit Sept. 14, 1943 2,420,041 Jensen May 6, 1947 2,686,332 Tull et a1 Aug. 17, 1954 2,716,044 Overby Aug. 23, 1955 

